FARMINGTON, Utah — With the first spring competition less than a month away, Eastern Washington women's golf has been predicted to finish seventh in the Big Sky preseason coaches' poll, announced by the conference today.

The Eagles received 33 points and were five behind Northern Colorado for sixth. The team is eight points clear of Montana for eighth.

Sacramento State was selected to defend their conference title, receiving nine-of-10 first place votes. Northern Arizona earned the other first place vote to stand at second in the poll.

Eastern exceeded expectations last season, finishing sixth at the 2023 Big Sky Tournament after being picked eighth in the preseason poll. Jaelin Ishikawa earned runner-up status after shooting a career-low, 212 (-4) for the tournament. 

The 2023-24 Eagles showed their skill during the fall schedule, competing in four events, including one at home.

At the inaugural 54 for IX Tournament, hosted by the Big Sky, EWU broke the team program record after shooting 881. The previous 54-hole record for Eastern was 889 set in 2016 as the team tied for sixth on the leaderboard. True freshman Gabriella Ilardi set the team's pace with a 216 score and tied for 14th on the individual leaderboard, her first collegiate competition. Brooke Mahler tied for 19th with 219. 

EWU hosted the Eagle Invite for the second straight season, placing fourth among 11 other teams in the field at Indian Canyon Golf Course.. Mahler posted a top-10 finish with a 222 score to earn seventh, while Illardi tied for 17 with a 225 in her third career event. 

The spring schedule opens for Eastern on Feb. 11 at the Zupas Trailblazer Invitational, concluding on Feb. 13. The Eagles have four total regular season competitions on the spring slate. 

The 2024 Big Sky Championships will be held from April 15 to April 17. 

2024 Women's Golf Coaches' Poll
 

1. Sacramento State (9) – 81
2. Northern Arizona (1) – 71
3. Weber State – 62
4. Idaho – 58
5. Montana State – 53
6. Northern Colorado – 38
7. Eastern Washington – 33
8. Montana – 25
9. Portland State – 19
10. Idaho State - 10

 

---

ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.

FOLLOW THE EAGLES
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram